Braintree council approves $75,000 to finish old Thayer Library restoration

Wednesday

Jun 18, 2014 at 6:28 AMJun 19, 2014 at 6:55 AM

The town council voted Tuesday night to spend $75,000 for the design and planning for interior work in the historic, 1874 building. The project will begin in May 2015.

Lane Lambert The Patriot Ledger @llambert_ledger

BRAINTREE -- The third and final phase of the restoration of the town's historic, original Thayer Library will soon be underway.

Two years after work on the 1874 building's exterior began, the town council has swiftly approved spending $75,000 for the design and planning for the interior – the prelude to construction and restoration that would begin in the spring of 2015.

“It's a historic building that needs much repair,” District 1 councilor Charles Kokoros said before Tuesday night's vote. “It's come a long way.”

Empty and unused since 2005, the handsome red brick and stone structure could be reopened with meeting rooms for public and community group events. The last round of work will include an elevator installation and other improvements to make it more accessible to handicapped persons.

In 2012, the building got a new roof, new gutters, and cleaning and pointing. The windows, frames and sashes are being replaced in a second round of work that's now being done. The stately entrance is also being restored.

“The building has great bones to it, and a great history,” Mayor Joseph Sullivan said earlier in the day. “We're taking steps to preserve that history, but it takes time.”

The $75,000 will come from the town's Community Preservation Act fund. Planning director Christine Stickney said an architectural firm will be hired by the end of this year, and that work should begin in May 2015. She said the town hopes to secure a $118,000 grant for the project from the Massachusetts Historical Commission by the end of the summer.

The old library was built with money bequeathed to the town by Gen. Sylvanus Thayer, best known as the “Father of West Point.” Located next to Town Hall, it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1870 -- two years before he died -- Thayer proposed the library, and offered to split the cost with the town. After his death, his executors provided $20,000 for the full expense.

A new, more spacious library was built across Washington Street in 1953. and the old library was turned into quarters for the town water and sewer department. The 1953 library was razed in 1997 to make way for the current facility, which opened on the same site in 1999.

Lane Lambert may be reached at llambert@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @LLambert_Ledger..